SOUTH CAROLINA

ABOUT THE SOURCE

South Carolina

Overview

South Carolina launched an ambitious price and quality transparency website in 2014 called SCHealthData.org, aiming to post revenue and utilization data, hospital chargemasters and comparative price data for common DRGS. The state also recently passed a law capping prices a provider may charge for a patient’s medical records. In the 2017 legislative session, however, none of the bills affecting markets and transparency were passed in the Legislature.

During the 2018 session, South Carolina passed the price transparency bill H5038, which allows a pharmacy or pharmacist to inform a patient of a lower cost including cash prices. The legislature also introduced bills that would require disclosure of drug costs (H4490), prohibit pharmacists from providing information on the amount of cost share (S815), and expand the use of telemedicine (H4529). However, none of those bills passed.

The State Database

The Source tracks state activities impacting healthcare price and competition in both legislation and litigation in a searchable database to help stakeholders at the state level understand their legal and regulatory environment as they make efforts to improve access, quality, and efficiency, and reduce costs in healthcare. We currently cover bills from the 2017-2018 legislative term and key statutes from each state. Search the database for specific bills, statutes or cases by using keyword, key issue category, and/or jurisdiction.

H 5038 – South Carolina Introduced/Considered: 2018Status: Enacted PHARMACY BENEFIT MANAGER: Would prohibit a pharmacy benefits manager from prohibiting or penalizing a pharmacy or pharmacist from informing the patient of a lower cost including the cash price. A pharmacy benefit manager may not …H 5044 – South Carolina Introduced/Considered: 2018Status: Inactive / Dead PHARMACY BENEFIT MANAGERS: Would prohibit pharmacy benefit managers from prohibiting or penalizing a pharmacist for providing an insured with information on the amount of the insured cost share for a prescribed drug and the clinical …H 4529 – South Carolina Introduced/Considered: 2018Status: Inactive / Dead This bill would allow certain board of registered nurses and physician assistants to perform delegated medical acts by means of telemedicine.S 400 – South Carolina Introduced/Considered: 2017Status: Inactive / Dead To enact the “South Carolina Right to Shop for Health Care Act” providing that a health care provider must disclose the allowed amount of a non-emergency admission, procedure, or service within a certain time frame; …H 3115 – South Carolina Introduced/Considered: 2017Status: Inactive / Dead To amend the code of laws of South Carolina, 1976, by adding Article 9 to Chapter 6, Title 44 so as to enact the “South Carolina Access to Health Care Act” to direct the State …Next | See all Legislation Records

H 5038 – South Carolina Introduced/Considered: 2018Status: Enacted PHARMACY BENEFIT MANAGER: Would prohibit a pharmacy benefits manager from prohibiting or penalizing a pharmacy or pharmacist from informing the patient of a lower cost including the cash price. A pharmacy benefit manager may not …S.C. Code Ann. § 44-6-170 – South Carolina Introduced/Considered: Status: Enacted Creates a Data Oversight Council comprised of members of the healthcare delivery public and private community for the purposes of making periodic recommendations to the Joint Legislative Health Care Planning and Oversight Committee and the …S.C. Code Ann. § 38-71-2130 – South Carolina Introduced/Considered: Status: Enacted Prohibits pharmacy benefit managers from prohibiting or penalizing a pharmacy or pharmacist from informing the patient of a lower cost including the cash price.S.C. Code Ann. §§ 44-7-500 through 44-7-590. Health Care Cooperation Act – South Carolina Introduced/Considered: Status: Enacted Permits the state attorney general to authorize cooperative agreements between healthcare providers, purchasers, and provider networks by issuing a Certificate of Public Advantage (COPA) if the likely benefits resulting from the agreements outweigh the disadvantages …S.C. Code Ann. §§ 44-7-110 through 44-7-394 – South Carolina Introduced/Considered: Status: Enacted Prohibits health care providers from acquiring, replacing, or adding to their facilities and equipment, except in specified circumstances, without the prior approval of the Department of Health and Environmental Control through the state’s Certificate of …Next | See all Legislation Records

Additional Resources

LEGISLATIVE CALENDAR

South Carolina’s most recent legislative session ran from 1/9/2018 – 6/7/2018. Bills from 2017 were carried over to 2018 for the 2017-2018 legislative term.

FY 2018 BUDGET

South Carolina operates on a yearly budget cycle. South Carolina’s fiscal year begins on July 1 and ends on June 30 in the following year. South Carolina enacted its FY 2018 Budget during the regular legislative session. To view the FY 2018 Budget proposal, click here.